Adam hummer



(No Model.)

A. HUMMER.

SHANK STIFPENER FOE BQOTS 0R SHOES. No. 818,562. Patented May 26,1885.

N. PETERS, Phuto-mhn n hu, Washin ton. D. C.

IIMTTED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ADAM HUMMER, OF SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA, ASSIGNOR CF ONE-HALF TO MICHAEL YOUNGPETEB, OF SAME PLACE.

SHANK-STIFFENER FOR BOOTS OR SHOES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 318,562, dated May 26, 1885.

Application filed March 20, 1885. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, ADAM HUMMER, of the city and county of San Francisco, State of California, have invented an Improvement in Boot and Shoe Shanks; and I hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same.

My invention relates to an improved metal shank for boots and shoes; and it consists of a steel plate having its front end made broad and thin, the sides curved and narrowed into a shank or body, which is correspondingly thickened in its central portion, this shank being again expanded and having a thin circular plate within the heel of the boot or shoe, the

form of the whole shank being such that it conforms to the line of the nails or stitches which pass through the leather just outside of the edges of the shank.

Referring to the accompanying drawings for a more complete explanation of my invention, Figure 1 is a view of the shank. Fig. 2 shows the shank in place upon the insole.

A is the central body or shank. B is the for ward end, and C the rear end. The forward end is drawn out thin and broad, following closely the shape of that portion of the shoesole which is beneath the rear of the ball of the foot, and it may have holes I), by which it 0 is firmly secured to the insole. The rear end, 0, is also made thin, and is preferably made circular, having holes 0 around its edges, by which it is secured to the insole. The body or connecting portion A of the shank has its cen- 5 ter thickened up, as shown at to, its width be ing correspondingly narrower where it passes through the narrowed portion of the shank of the shoe.

The shape of this whole device is such that it lies just within thelines of stitching or nails by which the outer soles are secured to the insole, and the edges are drawn down so thin that when the leather is stitched together the shank will be held very firmly in place, and no filling pieces or strips of leather or other 5 material are necessary to be applied upon either side of it.

The broad front portion and rear portion serve to hold the body of the shoe straight and in connection with the thickened uniting or central portion, A, to prevent it from twisting, also preventing breakage of the sole.

By forming the shank with its broad ends and thickened center in the shape of the sole as I have shown I am enabled to hold it very firmly in its place without the use of supplemental filling-pieces, to more perfectly resist the tendency to twist in different places when strains are brought upon it, and at the same time to give it sufficient strength to resist tor- S101].

Having thus described my invention,what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

l. A metallic shank for boots or shoes, having the front end made broad and thin, with its edges conforming to the lines of stitching for the sole, a centrally-thickened shank, and a circular rear end fitting within the heel,conforming in shape to the lines of stitching, substantially as herein described.

2. A metallic boot and shoe shank having its outlines conforming with the interior lines of stitching of the soles, the central portion being thickened, and the front and rear ends being drawn broad and thin and perforated with holes, by which they may be secured to the insole, substantially as herein described.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand.

ADAM HUMMER.

Vitnesses:

S. H. NoURsE, H. 0. LEE. 

